Marketing the Delta Americas story

 Mike’s career had humble beginnings, when he joined Delta in March 2010 as the first marketing specialist for the Fan and Thermal Management Business Group in the region. He was tasked to start a marketing program for the Delta Breez line of bathroom ventilation fans, an unprecedented step for a company that had once only showered attention on ODM contracts. Over the last ten years, Delta Breez ventilation fans grew from obscurity to winning wide recognition in the building and HVAC communities –a true success story illustrating the power of marketing and branding.

Mike was tasked to start a marketing program for the Delta Breez line

Mike was there behind the curtain and at times, directly in the spotlight, marshalling a massive effort to tell the story of not only Delta Breez, but also of Delta as an organization. For his first assignment, though, Mike encountered an “an uphill battle” while launching Delta Breez. The residential ventilation industry was dominated by two main players, the 800-pound gorillas of Broan-NuTone and Panasonic. Yet, through nimble marketing campaigns and cutting-edge bathroom exhaust fans, Delta was able to rapidly take market share. Today, Delta Breez has sold more than two million bathroom fans since its inception and is the third-largest brand of residential exhaust fans in the United States, according to Home Builder Executive magazine.

The Americas Marketing Department was born when Mike was suddenly called back from a Delta Breez tradeshow to the Americas management meeting in Fremont, where he was told that he would be leading the company’s first marketing team in the region.

“I was excited, as well as nervous, on this new Delta adventure that I would be entering into,” Mike said.

“I’m always amazed at how multi-faceted Delta is and the core values of what Delta truly believes in – making the world a better place through energy efficient products and solutions,” Mike said.

Delta’s unwavering commitment to executing its mission statement – “To provide innovative, clean and energy-efficient solutions for a better tomorrow” – continues to inspire and drive Mike’s work.

Diverse cooperation and learning across units

But with Delta being as diverse as it is, Mike said, the “first couple of years were quite tough with new challenges – filled with a lot of research into what all the Americas’ BGBUs were doing and their future plans.” Another challenge was the traditional focus of an ODM/OEM business model.

“Most of our Americas BGBUs are fueled with the drive to grow and make their own destiny within the Delta community,” Mike said. “We hope that we bring our marketing knowledge to the teams that request it and want to collaborate with us. At the same time, we co-work with the BGBUs that are most driven from their respective HQ teams and learn with them together.

Mike supported the BGBUs as they launched new products and solutions at trade shows. In his first year as marketing manager, he helped organize two large company events – in Brazil and Mexico City.

Respond to various challenges through flexible team cooperation

The marketing team has come a long way since its inception. Early on, the focus was on trade shows and events, with some public relations sprinkled in. Over the years, several hires have been made to foster what Mike described as a “dynamic team.”

“I am truly thankful for the team,” Mike said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be who I am. We have brought together numerous skillsets that feed off one another.”
• Christopher Yang –Marketing Specialist
• Niv Lin –Marketing Specialist
• Tony DeMello – Digital Marketing Specialist
• Richard Chang – Public Relations and Communications Specialist

Mike summed up the tempo and mindset of the team into one single word: agile. He added, “We have to juggle many items and projects … throughout the course of a year. Some we’re planning and prepping in advance, while others will spring up out of nowhere.”

DAL marketing team members : Richard Chang(Upper left)、Niv Lin(Upper right)、Tony DeMello(Lower left)、Christopher Yang(Lower right)

One Delta in exhibition by integrating multiple units

To be sure, there’s always a concrete schedule at the start of the year with a bustling roster of tradeshow activity: ASHRAE’s AHR Expo and the International Builders’ Show, among others. At the region’s largest show (AHR), Delta this year unveiled its first-ever fully integrated booth around the theme “Smarter Buildings, Smarter Cities” that incorporated the Building Automation Business Group’s Delta Controls, LOYTEC, Amerlux and VIVOTEK.

Mike side “It was incredible to see where we’ve come from 10 years ago with very simple and small booths to one of the largest booths we’ve ever had in the region at 39 feet by 90 feet.”

Delta’s AHR booth generated significant media buzz with seven on-site press interviews among outlets that have a collective reach of 374,000 people. On the social media front, posts tied to AHR generated over 35,000 impressions on LinkedIn as well as more than 16,000 impressions on Twitter.

Drive future development through continuous learning and taking challenges

Entering this new year and decade, Mike remains upbeat about the future and possibilities for what Delta will do. The marketing team is exploring new mediums and objectives, within digital marketing, to further expand brand awareness and ultimately, to drive more sales.

Reflecting on his career, Mike said it’s always been a joy “when we come together” as the Delta family.

Mr. Mike and Delta executives took a photo for 40th Delta anniversary

Asked if he has any advice for newcomers to Delta, Mike said, “It’s been great to see and be a part of what Delta Americas has grown into and what we’ll become. My advice: keep learning and be willing to adapt to new changes.”